Dam.



PATENTED AUG. 14, 1906.

G. E. LADSHAW.

DAM.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.6,1906.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

/NVENTOH GEOR GE E. LAD SHAW PATENTED AUG. 14, 1906". -G. B. LADSHAW.

.DAM.

'APPLIOATION FILED ran. a, 1906.

2 SHEETB-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR GEORGE E.LADSH AW $%%TNESSESJ (K 1 W I ATTOHNE Y8 UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

DAM.

Application filed February 5,

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. LADSHAW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spartanburg, in the county of Spartanburg and State of South Carolina, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Dams, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in dams; and it consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of my improved dam on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a section of the dam. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similar section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3, and Fig. .6 is a similar section on line 6 6 of .the same figure.

My improved dam is a unitary structure comprising piers provided with buttresses and connected by arches sprin ing from the piers upon the opposite sides rom the buttresses.

In the present embodiment of my invention piers A are arran ed at spaced intervals, the piers being provi ed upon one side with the buttresses B and connected by Walls C, the said walls being arched transversely away from the piers and inclined vertically thereto. The arch of the wall decreasesfrom below upward and may be described as being formed intransverse contour upon arcs having radii increasin in length from below u ward. The back s ope or concave face of t e wall may be varied to meet any desired pressure on the arched face of the wall without inthe upper face ofthe coping is inclined from Specification of Letters Patent.

the horizontal toward the convex face of the Patented Aug. 14, 1906.

1906. Serial No. 299.476.

wall. This arrangement of coping alsoeliminates tension stresses, since the force of the water tends to force the copingdownward instead of upward.

While I have shown a dam composed of a plurality of arches supported at their abutting ends by buttressed piers, it is evident that the darn might be composed of a single arch with its ends directly supported by abutments.

By arrangin .the greatest convexity of the Walls at the power of the wall is placed in a position where it meets the greatest force of the retained water, and this convexity may be increased or decreased in accordance with the height of the dam.

' The inclination'of the wall fromjthe retained water eliminates; all tension stresses, since no resistance is offered to upward movement of the Water, and the tendency of the horizontal thrust of said retained water to overturn the dam is counteracted in part by the downward pressure.

If desired, reinforces E, of steel or other suitable material, may be inserted in the walls of my improved dam.

What I- claim is 1. A dam comprising a unitary structure, composed of spaced buttressed piers ,the piers being connected by walls arched transversely away from the buttresses and inclined vertically toward the piers, the arch of the walls decreasing in concavity from below upward, and a coping for the walls, the upper face of the coping being inclined toward the convex. face of the walls.

2. A dam comprising spaced piers, con nected by walls arched transversely and inclined vertically toward the piers, anda coping for the Walls, said coping being inclined from the horizontal toward the convex face of the Walls. p

3. dam comprising a unitary structure, composed of a plurality of spaced piers, and arches springing from the buttressed piers on the opposite side from the buttresses, the walls of the arches being inclined toward the buttresses and the convexity of the arches beformed upon the arcs of circles of gradottom the highest resisting in ually-increasing radius from below upward.

. A darn comprising spaced piers connected-by arches, the convex face of the arches j clined vertically towardthe iers, the conbeing toward the retained water, and the cavity of the walls decreasing mm below uptransverse contour of the concave face of said ward.

arches being formed upon arcs having increas- GEORGE E. LADSHAW. 5 ing radii from below upward. Witnesses:

5. A darn comprising spaced iers c0n- GABRIEL CANNON,

nected by'walls arched transverse y, and in- C. M. 'CREWS. 

